â€œGraven Imagesâ€ will explore the roles of religion in comic books andgraphic novels. This conference is open to all interpretations ofâ€œreligious comicsâ€; in fact, we welcome debate as to what that term mightmean. From the performance of religion in comics, to religious or mythictraditions among the elements of various works, to the use of comics byreligious practitioners themselves, the relationship between comics andreligion is dynamic and evolving. Given the increasing seriousness withwhich the public has come to view comics as an art form as well asAmericansâ€™ fraught but passionate relationship with religion, â€œGravenImagesâ€ provides an opportunity for discussion of cutting-edge artistic andsocial issues.

Examples of religion in comics abound. Preacher is the tale of a lapsedTexan clergyman armed with the literal Word of God in order to track downthe Creator Himself. The Golemâ€™s Mighty Swing features a group of Jewishballplayers in the 1920s who invoke a biblical force amidst competition andprejudice. Cerebus, the worldâ€™s first and only 6,000-page graphic novel,resolves around the creation of a new religion, its sacred text, theauthorâ€™s own account of Genesis, and a final accounting with God. KingdomCome presents a â€œtwilight of the superheroes,â€ set against the backdrops ofboth Nordic Ragnarok and Christian Revelation and seen through the eyes ofa faith-weary minister and a divine Spirit of Vengeance. Although there isno shortage of religious material in comic books and graphic novels, thereis a dearth of formal, academic discussion on the topic. â€œGraven Imagesâ€aims to begin a conversation that will rectify this lack.

The focus will be primarily English-language works produced over the last60 years for the American market, though special exceptions will be madefor particularly strong abstracts. We are particularly interested in thefollowing works and topics, though others will be considered:

â€¢ Pagan Missionaries: the works of Moore, Gaiman, and Morrison asmouthpieces for New Religious Movementsâ€¢ Christian Comic Books and the Evangelicalsâ€¢ The Market for Religious Comicsâ€¢ Daniel: Prophet of Dreams, Samson: Judge of Israel, The Lone and LevelSands, Marked!, and other depictions of the Hebrew Bible or New Testamentâ€¢ Using Comics to Teach Religionâ€¢ Non-Western Religious Traditions in Western Comic Booksâ€¢ Ritual Wednesdays at the Comic Shop: Comic Book Culture and its Elementsof Faithâ€¢ What does a Messiah look like? Chosen, Battle Pope, and The NewAdventures of Jesusâ€¢ Binky Brown and other Irreverent Portraits of Religion: The Role of Humor

500-word abstracts should be sent to the attention of A. David Lewis eitherthrough e-mail at ADL_at_bu.edu or by mail to â€œGraven Imagesâ€ Conference,Department of Religion, Boston University, 145 Bay State Road, Boston MA 02215.

ABSTRACTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 31, 2008.

The Luce Program in Scripture and Literary Arts (http://www.bu.edu/luce)was created in 2000, thanks to a generous grant from the Henry LuceFoundation and strong support from Boston University. It is intended toraise the profile of the Bible in humanistic studies through courses in theJewish and Christian scriptures, as well as in the secular literatures thatgrow out of these sacred traditions. The program is also opening an Islamicversion of this inquiry, as well as beginning to explore the place of thevisual arts in interpreting scripture.